Probe Clears Police in Injury of US Protester

A US activist wounded in a checkpoint protest was hit by a ricochet gas canister and was not shot at intentionally, video evidence shows.

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Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, 29/11/10 13:42 | updated: 15:13

Protest at Kalandia checkpoint

Israel news photo: Flash 90

An American activist wounded in a protest at an Israeli checkpoint was hit by a ricochet gas canister and was not shot at intentionally, video evidence shows.

New York state student Emily Henochowicz lost an eye while protesting against the IDF at the Kalandia crossing last June. She joined Arab demonstrators following the May 31 clash with IHH terrorists on the Mavi Marmara ship that was headed to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Henochowicz, a 21-year-old art student, was carrying a Turkish flag to show her solidarity with Ankara and the Arab protesters.

The police probe cleared officers of any intention to hurt, despite claims by her family’s lawyer. He ridiculed the police investigation, comparing it to “sewage.”

Despite the video evidence, Arab and left-wing media repeated activists’ claims that the police probe excluded on-the-scene left-wing reporters. One witness said, “It really looked as though they [the police] were trying to hit us" - though he could not substantiate the allegation with facts.

On the other hand, a Palestine News Network report on the police probe did not publish quotes that contradicted the video.

“They fired many canisters at us in rapid succession," according to an interview last June with International Solidarity Movement member Sören Johanssen, from Sweden. "One landed on either side of Emily [and] then the third one hit her in the face.”

The canister that hit her in the face was a ricochet, according to the video.

The police added that Henochowicz “endangered herself by participating in the demonstration” at Kalandia, where violent riots against police and soldiers are common.